Pitt students, friends hold memorial vigil for pedestrian killed by UPMC shuttle bus

Emily Watson read books voraciously, exercised each day at the gym, and drove frequently to Presque Isle Beach, where she liked to watch the sun set over Lake Erie and reflect.

A Pittsburgher and Point Park University alumna, Watson supervised the transport department at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Oakland and adored her two “Veggie Kitties” — cats named Zucchini and Tomato. She was working on her first novel.

Watson was walking within feet of the hospital where she worked at about 9:25 a.m. Nov. 29. As she crossed Terrace Street, a UPMC shuttle bus hit her, knocking her unconscious. Bystanders performed CPR and first responders rushed Watson to an area hospital, where she later died.

She was 29.

Two pedestrian safety groups joined a crowd of mourners in Oakland on Wednesday afternoon to pay tribute to Watson’s memory — and to call on city planners and other stakeholders to do more to protect those who walk and bike in Pittsburgh.

Peter O’Grady, who attended Wednesday’s vigil, knows the dangers of walking on Terrace Street, near the University of Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center. The Pitt freshman attends engineering class nearby.

“I come through here every morning — I see people going to work, going to school,” said O’Grady, 18, a civil engineering major who grew up in Monroeville and lives on Pitt’s Oakland campus. “An area where speed is too high and visibility is too poor? It’s a recipe for disaster.”

O’Grady was joined by many members of Complete Streets at Pitt, a student group formed in 2022 that advocates for better pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The group staged the Terrace Street vigil with BikePgh, a similarly minded nonprofit group boasting some 3,000 members.

Watson’s case is not unique.

At least one other pedestrian has been killed in recent years at the intersection where Watson died. Lt. Col. Jeanne Flaherty, an U.S. Air Force veteran and volunteer, was walking in Oakland for a dentist appointment on Sept. 17, 2020 when a UPMC shuttle bus hit and killed her.

About 25 Pittsburghers die every year traveling city streets, according to BikePgh Advocacy Manager Seth Bush. Pedestrians account for one in every three of those deaths.

And a person walking is hit in Pittsburgh an average of once every 34 hours, according to Bush.

“The important thing to know is that it could happen to anybody,” said Bush, who attended the vigil.

@triblive WATCH: A memorial vigil was held yesterday to pay tribute to Emily Watson, a 29-year-old who died after being hit by a UPMC shuttle bus #pedestriansafety#bikesafety♬ original sound - TribLive

UPMC has not identified the driver of the shuttle bus that struck Watson. Pittsburgh police have not announced whether there will be any criminal charges filed against them.

“This is a tragedy for our community, and our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family of the deceased and with all who witnessed this terrible event,” said UPMC spokesman Rick Pietzak, who works in crisis communications for the healthcare giant. “Pittsburgh Police are leading the investigation and have our full cooperation.”

Pietzak declined to confirm whether Watson was a UPMC employee.

Watson’s family celebrated her in an obituary posted online shortly after the young woman’s death.

“As we bid farewell to Emily, we celebrate the remarkable woman she was and the legacy she leaves behind,” her family wrote in the obituary. “Her light will continue to shine in the memories we hold and the stories we share.”

James Dell came to Oakland on Wednesday to pay tribute to his friend. Dell, bundled against the cold in a neon hoodie, said he worked alongside Watson at a Sears department store in South Hills Village that closed in 2018.

“She was the type of person who’d give you the shirt off her back,” said Dell, 41, of the South Side. “She was family, always will be.”

Another friend of Watson’s poured a can of Celsius energy drink, Watson’s favorite drink, onto Terrace Street, leaving behind a reddish puddle.

Harrison Romero, a Pitt junior who serves as president of Complete Streets at Pitt, asked those holding candles to observe a moment of silence for Watson and “other victims of traffic violence.”

“We do not want to be here for more vigils,” said Romero, 21, who lives off-campus in Oakland. “This shouldn’t keep happening.”

“We’re not here to push a particular solution,” he added. “But something needs to be done.”